Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Still looking for something to do on the 4th of July? I've got some tickets to give away for the Deer Tick show at Spaceland. In case you missed it, Brian Williams of NBC News recently interviewed the guys for his blog.

Opening the show will be Dawes and a band that put out one of my favorite records last year, The Moondoggies.

To win these tickets email me [dukeufo at gmail] with your favorite 4th of July tradition. The contest closes Friday at Noon. Please include your full name and put "Deer Moon" in the subject line.

Thursday 7/2/09[Pick of the Week] Benefit for Jennifer Tefft: She Wants Revenge / Ladies Choir (Eleni Mandell and Becky Stark) / Great Northern / Moving Units DJ Set / Living Things / Dead Meadow / Rocco DeLuca / Nico Stai / The Honorary Title (solo set) @ The Echoplex ($25) – Spaceland’s booker, Jennifer Tefft recently endured a lengthy hospital stay as the result of a nasty blood clotting disorder. She’s assembled a strong local lineup to help pay down some of the mounting medical bills. Sylvia (Sinking Radio), Bronson (Buzz Bands) and Dia (Club NME, etc.) will also be DJ’ing.[Recommended] Citay / Black Math Horseman / The Dry Spells @ Silverlake Lounge ($10) – Citay’s another Dead Oceans band (that’s at least three) who happen to be in town this week. The All Music Guide called their last record a post-grad Allman Brothers, which is a pretty interesting way to look at it. I really like the record.Amazing Baby / Band of Skulls / Dazzler @ Hammer Museum (Free) – Amazing Baby’s got a lot of buzz right now. They’re another one of those bands that came out of the same New York scene as MGMT.July 4th Fireworks Spectacular: John Fogerty and LA Philharmonic @ Hollywood Bowl ($12 - $116)Hell Kite / Haiku Ambulance @ Echo CurioOak and Gorski / Paper Bird @ Hotel CaféWhitman / Splinter Cake / Nora Keyes / Nicole Kidman @ The Smell ($5)

Saturday 7/4/09[Pick of the Night] Deer Tick / Dawes / The Moondoggies @ Spaceland ($12) – Deer Tick’s gotten a lot of blog buzz, but for me The Moondoggies are the biggest reason to go. They put out a pretty great boogie rock record last year on Sub Pop offshoot, Hardly Art. I’m giving away tickets for this one too.

Friday, June 26, 2009

This is my weekly reminder to tune in to LittleRadio.com this Friday from Noon to 2:00 PM for the Sinking Radio program. Each week the hosts spin an official You Set the Scene pick. They're not always winners (in the ears of the hosts) but that doesn't stop me. There's something amusing about hearing three music lovers complain about being forced to listen to Link Wray.

My pick for tomorrow's program is The Seeds' "Can't Seem to Make You Mine." I picked a Seeds' track for the obvious reason, Thursday's passing of lead singer Sky Sunlight Saxon. I picked this particular song, because it's always been a favorite. There's a reason Alex Chilton, Yo La Tengo, The Ramones and Johnny Thunders covered it.

For the uninitiated, The Seeds were a popular Los Angeles-based garage rock band from the mid-1960s. This track and "Pushin' Too Hard" achieved minor chart success. We're currently living in a scene with some pretty laughable/suspect "hippies", but there was no questioning Saxon. He was the real deal. Saxon was a dedicated follower of YaHoWha, and recorded with the YaHoWha 13 in the 1970s.

My first exposure to the Seeds happened in the late 1990s; you discover Nuggets and a whole world of music opens up for you. I was excited when the Seeds started playing shows again in 2002/2003. Not really knowing what to expect, I drove to the Bigfoot Lodge for one of the comeback shows in February 2003. $5 to see a legend in a tiny room? What did I have to lose? Well, Saxon's brain seemed a little (read: a lot) scrambled. One thing that really sticks out from the evening was a long digression about dogs.

On Thursday Jacko and Farrah got all the headlines, but hopefully some of you are discovering Sky for the first time....

Telekinesis' self-titled debut album was released this April by Merge Records. Recorded by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) it's an enjoyable indie rock album that should appeal to fans of bands like Death Cab and Rogue Wave.

To win these tickets email me [dukeufo at Gmail] with the name of the best live band you've seen this year. The contest closes Friday at Noon.

Friday, June 19, 2009

This is my weekly reminder to tune into Sinking Radio Friday from Noon to 2:00 PM on LittleRadio.com. Tomorrow is the show's two year anniversary. Expect guest appearances galore...

Each week, the show features an "official" You Set the Scene pick of the week. My pick for tomorrow's show is Link Wray's "Fire and Brimstone." The reason I picked this song at this time is pretty stupid...I just finished watching Jack White's new band, The Dead Weather on the Late Show. And although White plays drums in the new band, his guitar playing frequently makes me think of Link Wray.

Wray revolutionized electric guitar playing in the late 1950's. Believe it or not, the self-titled album that features "Fire and Brimstone" came out in 1971, when Wray was already in his forties. It's just a completely timeless, ripping blues song.

Hipster fashion victims take note, that Indian look Wray's sporting on the cover of the record isn't some pose. He actually was a Shawnee Indian.

Oddly, this record doesn't seem to be available on iTunes (but is available on Amazon). However, I recommend you pick it up on vinyl if/when you see it. You will not regret it.....

Friday, June 12, 2009

See The Dead Weather next Wednesday, June 17th at the Roxy. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at Noon. The band's in town to make a television appearance. If you miss this, you can get tickets for the Wiltern on August 25th or the Glass House on August 27th.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

This is my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio this Friday from Noon to 2:00 PM on LittleRadio.com. Each week, the hosts play an official You Set the Scene pick. My pick for this week's show is Frankel's "Ticket Machine."

If you've seen Earlimart in the past year or so, there's a good chance you've seen Michael Orendy playing bass with them. It shouldn't be news to longtime readers of the blog that Orendy records solo stuff under the name Frankel. A few of you might even remember that Frankel's last record, Lullaby for the Passerby, was number four on my list of best local releases of 2007. (Looking back on it, that list holds up surprisingly well, but that's another story.)

When I heard Orendy had a new record on the way, it immediately went on my list of most anticipated records for 2009. According to the Frankel Myspace page, Anonymity Is the New Fame will finally be available June 23rd on the Aquarium Drunkard's Autumn Tone Records.

Frankel's first record drew comparisons to Harry Nilsson and Lennon/McCartney, while I compared it to Richard Swift and Andrew Bird. Those influences are muted this time around. The new songs are a little less bouncy pop and a little more fuzzy folk.

I'm not one of those guys that throws around Elliott Smith comparisons (or "Elliot Smith" as most people still spell it - sorry, it's an anal retentive pet peeve), but the first two tracks on Anonymity Is the New Fame, brought Smith to mind in a very positive way. Subject wise, the lyrics are nothing like Smith's. It's more a case of how the vocals, piano and acoustic guitar are recorded on a few of the songs.

When you listen, forget my Elliott Smith comparisons. As he proved on Lullaby for the Passerby, Orendy's a very talented songwriter/artist in his own right. It never comes off as emulation, just influence.

This record will, once again, most likely end up very high on my list of best of 2009.....

Monday, June 08, 2009

This giveaway's so good, I wish I was eligible. I've got a pair of tickets to give away for the Neko Case show this Friday at the Greek Theatre. Jason Lytle (ex-Grandaddy) opens the show.

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your rock star crush. Please put "Neko Contest" in the subject line and include your full name. The contest closes Tuesday at 8:00 PM.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Here's my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio on Little Radio Fridays from Noon to 2:00 PM PST. Each week, the show features an You Set the Scene pick of the week. My pick for this week's show is Sonic Youth's "Thunderclap (for Bobby Pyn)."

For the most part, I'm a "middle period" Sonic Youth fan. I love the Sister, Daydream Nation, Goo, Dirty period. For the next several records (read: ten years), I could honestly take or leave them. There are (almost) always great songs on each record, just not a cohesive album.

So now it's 2009 and the band's rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary. They parted ways with their longtime label and signed off with Matador, NYC's biggest indie - and? They've put out another great album. Pretty fantastic that they're having a late in their career resurgence (I quite liked Rather Ripped too).